A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

The previous raw source had some issues, but I’ve found a new one. Chapters 34 and 35 have been updated. If you read those chapters before October 3rd, please take another look at them.

Bei Nuan subconsciously touched her pocket. Inside, she only had a piece of dried sweet potato she hadn't finished eating.

She took out the dried sweet potato and unfolded the tissue paper wrapping it.

Dahua sniffed again, then suddenly stuck out her little pink tongue and licked the dried sweet potato.

Bei Nuan: ???

Wasn't she only willing to eat Angus beef tenderloin with foie gras and caviar?

Dahua unceremoniously snatched the dried sweet potato, pinning it under her paw like prey, revealing a mouthful of small, white, sharp teeth.

She tilted her head and gnawed at the dried sweet potato with no grace, baring her teeth.

It was too tough.

The dried sweet potato was too hard. Even with her meat-eating teeth, she didn't seem to be much better off than Bei Nuan.

After struggling for a long time, she only managed to bite off a tiny piece.

Bei Nuan stared at her and her dried sweet potato for a long time before recovering: "You… you're actually willing to eat our commoner snacks??"

Li Elizabeth Dahua looked up at Bei Nuan, as if suddenly realizing what she was doing. She released the dried sweet potato, turned, and walked away.

Leaving behind only a proud, lonely, and hungry noble figure.

Bei Nuan quickly picked up the dried sweet potato from the ground.

She absolutely couldn't let Xie Yuanqing know that she had fed his princess dried sweet potato. If he found out, she probably wouldn't be allowed to see his Dahua ever again.

"Dahua, what else do you want to eat? Besides your Angus beef tenderloin with foie gras and caviar… uh… and dried sweet potato." Bei Nuan put away the dried sweet potato and followed behind her.

Dahua slowly strolled deeper into the courtyard, ignoring her completely.

The courtyard was filled with various flowers and plants, the terrain complex, making it quite suitable for a cat.

Dahua walked further in, familiar with the route. Passing a cluster of dahlias, she suddenly stopped, the fur on her back bristling.

The little princess was displeased about something again, probably annoyed that the flowers were blocking her way.

Since she was ignoring Bei Nuan and heading towards Xie Yuanqing's house, Bei Nuan felt awkward continuing to follow.

Bei Nuan said goodbye to Xie Yuanqing's guards at the gate, left the mountaintop, and returned to Xiao Ji's house.

Du Ruo was playing with the chickens in the courtyard. As soon as he saw Bei Nuan, he smiled: "I told Lu Xingchi you'd be fine. See, aren't you back safe and sound?"

It turned out that with some rare free time and the area being safe, Jiang Fei and Tang Tang had gone out for a stroll. Lu Xingchi had been waiting for Bei Nuan, and seeing that she hadn't returned, he went out to look for her.

Bei Nuan took out the cat-nibbled dried sweet potato, tossed it onto the small wooden table used for meals in the courtyard, then grabbed a new one for herself. She pulled over a small stool and sat down, silently gnawing.

"What's wrong?" Du Ruo asked, seeing her sitting there lost in thought.

Bei Nuan mumbled through her mouthful of dried sweet potato, "What do you think a cat wants most?"

"You mean that cat raised by Xie something? Find her a boyfriend," Du Ruo smoothly suggested.

"She's a female."

"Then find her a girlfriend."

"Should I find her a girlfriend? Does she even want one?" Bei Nuan was suspicious. "Wouldn't feeding her something delicious be more reliable?"

Du Ruo scoffed, "Don't be silly. Romance is definitely more important than food. Who doesn't want to fall in love, and only thinks about eating all sorts of delicious things all day long?"

Bei Nuan stared at Du Ruo: "…"

Bei Nuan imagined the little princess getting cozy with a tomcat from Yao Town and immediately rejected the idea. "No, if I randomly find her a boyfriend, her owner will probably kill me."

Du Ruo's attention shifted. "Hey? A thief!"

Bei Nuan turned her head, following his gaze.

Li Dahua was stretching her body long, her front paws on the small wooden table, a piece of dried sweet potato in her mouth.

Suddenly realizing Bei Nuan was watching her, the whole cat froze.

It was the first time Bei Nuan had seen a cat look embarrassed.

How did she get here? She didn't want it when offered earlier, and now she came specifically to steal it?

Li Dahua, caught by Bei Nuan, was embarrassed for a few seconds, then regained her elegant composure, her expression saying, "You mortals, haven't you seen a princess take a dried sweet potato before?"

She didn't turn to run, but slowly took the dried sweet potato down, pressed it to the ground, and started to gnaw on it right there, acting as if she owned the place.

She showed no fear, clearly spoiled and never punished for stealing.

Du Ruo was a little confused. "Why is a cat eating dried sweet potato?"

Bei Nuan replied, "Because she's hungry?"

"Poor thing, do you want to feed her some dried fish?" Du Ruo suggested.

"I tried. She thinks dried fish is disgusting."

Du Ruo watched Dahua gnawing on the dried sweet potato for a while, then mused, "It's too hard, she can't bite it."

The kind-hearted Du Ruo went inside to pour a bowl of hot water, picked a less hard piece of dried sweet potato, and soaked it in the hot water.

After soaking it for a while, he fished it out and presented it to Dahua.

Dahua hesitated for a moment, abandoned the piece under her paw, and tried Du Ruo's offering.

She could actually bite it.

Dahua expressed her satisfaction. This manservant served her much better than that maidservant.

She seemed to be truly starving, finishing three pieces of hot water-soaked dried sweet potato in one go.

Bei Nuan didn't dare let Du Ruo feed her anymore. What if something went wrong?

Bei Nuan quietly brought up her task list.

Unfortunately, even after feeding her so much dried sweet potato, Li Dahua's name was still followed by (0/3).

The dried sweet potato tactic failed. She had no idea what this cat actually wanted.

"What do you think she wants besides food?" Bei Nuan asked Du Ruo.

"If you won't help her find a boyfriend, then besides eating, it's playing."

Du Ruo walked to the courtyard wall, plucked a long foxtail, and came back pinching it. He used the fluffy tail of the grass to tease Dahua.

"She won't pay attention to you. At home, she plays with a three-story playground…"

Before Bei Nuan finished speaking, she saw Dahua tilt her head, suddenly stand up halfway like a human, and stretch out her front paws to playfully bat at the foxtail in Du Ruo's hand.

A princess cat, was still a cat after all.

Bei Nuan quickly plucked a foxtail as well, and she and Du Ruo teased her from both sides.

The little princess batted left and right, playing very happily.

Unfortunately, after playing for a long time, Li Dahua's name was still followed by (0/3).

Could she really have to find her a boyfriend? The thought gave Bei Nuan a headache.

Just as she was thinking, someone suddenly shouted from outside the courtyard gate: "Everyone gather at the mountaintop! The clan leader has something to announce, and wants everyone to attend a meeting."

Xiao Ji's mom had already come out to respond. She pulled Bei Nuan, called Du Ruo, and followed the flow of people up the mountain.

Bei Nuan thought: No way? Not again?

Bei Nuan asked Xiao Ji's mom: "Do you have meetings often here?"

Xiao Ji's mom replied: "Two or three times a year. Usually about collecting money to pave roads or something."

They'd go up and see what it was about.

On the mountaintop, not far from where Xie Yuanqing lived, was a relatively flat open space paved with bluestone slabs, with a spring next to it.

Probably everyone in Yao Town was there now, a large crowd of men, women, and children, like a school assembly.

Bei Nuan spotted Xie Yuanqing at a glance.

He was standing by the spring with a few other people.

Bei Nuan knew that those people were probably the ones who actually controlled Yao Town, the clan leaders of the several large families.

The book mentioned that Yao Town was an ancient town, and several clans with prominent surnames had lived there for generations.

After the zombie outbreak, everyone went up the mountain and moved into the old houses. With the town gates closed, Yao Town effortlessly reverted to the family-based governance model of centuries past.

Xie Yuanqing's ancestors were from Yao Town. Although he hadn't lived there for a long time, he had deep ties to the town, and coupled with his considerable influence, he had somehow become one of the ruling powers, having offered the clan leaders some unknown benefit.

The oldest-looking clan leader stepped onto a large rock by the spring.

"I've called everyone here today because there's something I want to tell you. Last night, someone let infected people from outside into our town, and even hid them. So, I want to ask if anyone has any clues."

Bei Nuan thought: By some strange coincidence, she really did run into this situation again as soon as she came up the mountain.

It was because of this incident that Bei Nuan in the book was seriously injured.

The book mentioned that the town gates were currently guarded by Yao Town locals, and the rules were quite strict. They only accepted locals and their relatives, and everyone entering had to be checked for injuries, no exceptions.

But someone still found a loophole.

Among the gatekeepers, there was the second son of the Luo family. Last night, he secretly let his older brother in. The problem was, his brother was injured outside.

And it was indeed a zombie bite, just not yet turned.

Once he turned, this isolated paradise of Yao Town would be finished.

So, they had to find the bitten Luo eldest brother. But he was now in hiding, and the townspeople had already searched everywhere, unable to find him.

In the book, unable to find the person, and to interrogate the Luo second brother, the clan publicly tortured him.

The beating was truly horrific. Bei Nuan in the book couldn't bear to watch and rushed forward to protect him, only to be severely injured in the waist.

Bei Nuan thought: So, the timeline has caught up again?

Then she figured it out.

The team in the book wasn't as strong, and without the spatial ability, they had to constantly collect supplies along the way, making their progress much slower than now.

Although the team was a few days behind at the beginning, because their journey was smooth, they had caught up with the plot's timeline. The time they arrived at the mountain was almost the same as in the book.

As expected. What was coming, still came.

The clan leader finished explaining the situation to everyone.

The crowd immediately erupted like boiling water, buzzing with discussion.

The clan leader continued: "So, if anyone knows where he's hiding, or has seen him, you must tell us immediately."

Bei Nuan thought: I know where he's hiding.

The book clearly stated that Luo eldest brother was hiding in a collapsed, dilapidated house not far from their Luo family's old residence.

The townspeople had searched there but didn't find him because he was hiding in the sweet potato cellar at the time. The cellar door happened to be covered by fallen debris, and they hadn't noticed it.

Since the timeline matched, Luo eldest brother might still be hiding in the cellar.

However, Bei Nuan didn't plan to tell them directly. What if they didn't find him? She might be taken for a lunatic.

Moreover, based on the book's description, the town was remote and closed off early. Many people had never even seen what a zombie looked like.

The townspeople had no experience dealing with zombies. In the book, after Luo eldest brother turned, the scene was chaotic. The zombie was killed on the spot by Lu Xingchi with a knife.

So, the best solution was to find Lu Xingchi quickly.

Even if she couldn't find Lu Xingchi, finding Jiang Fei would be good too.

Whether Luo eldest brother was currently human or zombie, as long as either of them found him and brought him back to the townspeople, the matter would be perfectly resolved.

Bei Nuan searched the crowd.

Although there were many people in the open space, both Lu Xingchi and Jiang Fei were taller than average and exceptionally handsome. They should be easy to spot.

But she saw neither Lu Xingchi nor Jiang Fei.

Where could they have gone?

Bei Nuan tugged at Du Ruo. "Du Ruo, my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable. I need to go back to Xiao Ji's house."

Du Ruo immediately replied: "I'll go back with you."

"No need. You stay here and listen for any interesting news they might have, and tell me later. I'll be right back."

Du Ruo nodded. "Okay. Hurry back, and don't wander around."

"Alright."

Bei Nuan quickly agreed and immediately slipped out of the crowd, wandering off.

Yao Town was only so big, surrounded by walls, with the town gates closed. They couldn't fly out.

They shouldn't be hard to find.

Bei Nuan left the mountaintop, hurried down the steps, and weaved through Yao Town, looking around.

Everyone had gone to the meeting. The bluestone roads were warmed by the afternoon sun. Only a few stray dogs were dozing, and a few white geese were flapping about. There were no people.

The book said that the abandoned house where the person was hiding was halfway up the mountain, with a large loquat tree at the entrance.

It was the only loquat tree in Yao Town. Find the tree, and you'd find the place.

But every household here had many trees planted inside and outside their courtyards, lush and of various kinds.

Bei Nuan had no idea what a loquat tree looked like. Trying to distinguish a loquat tree among so many different trees was basically a pipe dream.

This kind of botanical research should be left to Lu Xingchi.

But as she searched, Bei Nuan suddenly saw the loquat tree mentioned in the book.

No wonder the book specifically mentioned it. It turned out that loquat trees bore fruit in this season.

A large, old tree, covered with apricot-yellow loquats, looked delicious.

Behind the loquat tree was a house.

It seemed like it hadn't been inhabited for a long time. The courtyard walls were almost gone, debris piled everywhere, and the wooden house was dark and dilapidated, half collapsed.

So, this was the place with the person hiding in the cellar?

Bei Nuan only glanced at it, not wanting to go in.

Even if the person inside hadn't turned into a zombie yet, a normal, desperate man would be a bit troublesome for Bei Nuan to deal with. Although she could probably handle it, it wasn't worth the risk.

Bei Nuan looked around, silently memorizing the location of the house, planning to continue searching for Lu Xingchi.

Just as she was about to leave, a thought struck her like lightning.

Bei Nuan almost slapped herself.

How stupid.

Why bother looking for Lu Xingchi everywhere? She just needed to bring Du Ruo here.

Du Ruo wasn't afraid of zombies.

Whether Luo eldest brother had turned or not, he was just an ordinary man to Du Ruo. With his physique, he might be able to handle him.

Bei Nuan always thought of Du Ruo as someone who needed protection, completely forgetting that he had a "zombie ignore" cheat activated.

Bei Nuan turned and ran back towards the mountaintop. After only two steps, she stopped again.

Those loquats were huge.

The whole tree was full of ripe, large, plump fruit, looking both tart and sweet, and no one had picked them.

The tree wasn't tall either, some branches low enough to reach with a stretch.

Since the house was abandoned, the tree probably didn't belong to anyone either.

Bei Nuan stood on tiptoe and quickly plucked two loquats from the tree, turning to leave.

A figure suddenly emerged from the courtyard.

Bei Nuan was startled.

"What are you doing here?"

It was Lu Xingchi.

Finally found him. Bei Nuan breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Bei Nuan replied, "Something happened in Yao Town. I was looking for you."

"Looking for me all the way here?" His handsome brows furrowed. He glanced at the loquats in Bei Nuan's hand and understood immediately. "You actually came here to steal someone's loquats, right?"

"What do you mean steal?" Bei Nuan whispered defensively, clutching the loquats. "This house is abandoned. The tree probably doesn't have an owner, right?"

"Greedy cat. Eating things randomly like this, be careful not to get a stomachache." Lu Xingchi was a bit speechless.

Lu Xingchi asked Bei Nuan, "Where did you go just now? I walked around the town and didn't see you."

"I went to that Xie something's house on the mountaintop to play with his cat. His cat is so cute," Bei Nuan said.

Lu Xingchi frowned. "That person is strange. You should stay away from him."

Bei Nuan nodded, thinking, if it weren't for Li Dahua, I wouldn't want to be near him either.

But there was no other way.

Who would have thought the System would put a cat's name on the list?

"What about you? What are you doing here? Also here to steal loquats?" Bei Nuan asked Lu Xingchi.

"Do you think I'm like you?" Lu Xingchi was speechless. "I was looking for you everywhere."

To look for someone in an abandoned courtyard, Lu Xingchi's thinking was quite unique.

Bei Nuan glanced at the dilapidated house inside. "Why would I be in a place like this?"

Lu Xingchi replied, "See, didn't I find you here?"

That was true. Bei Nuan couldn't argue.

This broken courtyard should be the place where the person was hiding in the cellar. Now that she had Lu Xingchi and the courtyard, as long as she led him inside, found the person in the cellar, and handed him over to the townspeople, everything would be settled.

"What happened in Yao Town?" Lu Xingchi asked Bei Nuan.

"They're having a meeting on the mountaintop, saying…" Bei Nuan said halfway, then suddenly cheered and ran into the courtyard, "…Hey, what's that?"

With the big boss Lu around, Bei Nuan wasn't afraid, even if there was a person about to turn into a zombie in the courtyard, or even a whole platoon.

"What's what?" Lu Xingchi followed her in.

The courtyard hadn't been inhabited for a long time, and weeds grew in messy clumps. Bei Nuan squatted in front of a plant about a foot tall.

Several clusters of walnut-sized green beans hung from the plant.

Bei Nuan poked it with her finger. "This… could this be a tomato?"

Lu Xingchi bent down to examine it. "It seems like it is, but they're still green, not ripe yet."

Bei Nuan's eyes scanned the courtyard and she discovered something new, running over. "Then what about this? Is this a sunflower that hasn't grown yet?"

Lu Xingchi followed her and looked. "Yes."

Bei Nuan strolled a few more steps, this time not studying plants anymore. "What about this? What is this? Is it a hole dug by some animal? A rabbit hole?"

She walked to a pile of broken bamboo baskets, moved them aside, and revealed a cover-like thing made of broken wooden strips.

The cover was half open, blocking a dark opening.

Lu Xingchi followed. "It's not a hole dug by an animal. Rabbit holes aren't this big. This is a cellar they used to store sweet potatoes. Every household has one."

The big boss really did know everything.

"A cellar." Bei Nuan took half a step back towards Lu Xingchi before kicking the broken wooden cover open with her toe.

The cellar was shallow, a downward-sloping, urn-shaped pit. Even though it was a bit dark, she could see at a glance that it was empty, nothing inside.

The hidden person wasn't there.

Bei Nuan's mind raced. Where did he go?

In the original book, the townspeople did find the person here in the end. Could the plot have deviated again?

If it deviated, it would be a big problem.

According to the book's pacing, that person would soon turn. Once he turned, there was a risk of rapid infection spread.

Not just the warm-hearted Xiao Ji family, but the entire town would suffer.

Du Ruo wasn't afraid of zombies, so he would be fine, but Jiang Fei and Tang Tang had wandered off somewhere.

Bei Nuan was a little panicked.

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